Railways of Belarus: Soviet locomotives, comfortable platforms and a freight-passenger train

Railways of Belarus: Soviet locomotives, comfortable platforms and a freight-passenger train

How do you like the car? Oh, right, you haven’t ridden in a car yet… Get in quickly, guys, otherwise we’ll be late for the Osipovichi-Grodzyanka commuter train! Why did you sit in the front? Let a local sit here! No. Let a local show us the way. Do you think a local knows the way? We’ll find the way! [music] How do you like this picture: we’re leaving the capital, but the road is empty. You’ll never see a picture like this in Moscow. We’re driving from Minsk to the Osipovichi-Grodzyanka railway line to take a picture of a commuter train that’s soon to be cancelled. Nonsense! They’ve decided to cancel the commuter train in Belarus (they don’t usually do that in Belarus). The train will stop running in a week, so we rushed to Minsk, rented a Volkswagen Polo, and are heading to the spot to take some pictures. This is Igor Abrasimov, Bus Master, and we also have a local, Volodya. Give us a thumbs up, subscribe to the channel, and we’re already on our way. Uh… We’re on our way. Show us a beautiful road! [music] Diesel locomotive M62UK-3092 with a freight and passenger train near the village of Lapichi. We successfully photographed the freight and passenger train with half of a 2M62U diesel locomotive; the train previously operated with a round-headlighted M62 diesel locomotive. We photographed this train in October 2024, but unfortunately, the train didn’t include a freight car, but it did include a rarer M62 diesel locomotive with round headlights. The freight and passenger train will soon cease operating. A freight train will remain, but it will be difficult to photograph due to the unknown schedule. I am very surprised that they are canceling commuter trains in Belarus, even on such a small railway line. After all, there are villages here that are not accessible by convenient roads. Belarus, don’t follow Russian Railways’ example! [town of Osipovichi] E-series steam locomotive We’ve arrived in the village of Garozha on the Osipovichi-Mogilev railway line. Now we’ll take a photo of a Polish-made DP3 diesel train from the crossing; it’ll be a cool photo. The platform is set back from the road. Notice that there’s a path leading from the road to the platform! Incredible! In the Russian city of Murom, on a similar railway line, you have to walk over rocks and bushes from the crossing to the platform. But in Belarus, the railway workers managed to build the path I’m walking on. Yes, Russian Railways, they can do that. Can you imagine?! They’re building a siding here! There’s an unnecessary step at the entrance to the platform, but the platform is perfectly level, and the concrete slabs look like new. A neat fence. A beautiful concrete canopy, not an ugly sheet metal shack. Five lamps. The canopy is in good condition, painted three colors. There’s a long bench. A card with the schedule and a map of the railway line. Four pairs of commuter trains run here. Oh no! I completely forgot that a train is about to leave, I need to get back to the crossing urgently! This is a Polish diesel train Pesa DP3, built in 2016, traveling express from Minsk to Mogilev. I give the Garage platform a 10 out of 10. I wish they would start designing platforms like this on similar railways in Russia. I’ve been traveling around Russia since 2008 and I’ve never seen a concrete path leading from the crossing to the platform. And here in the countryside, trains run infrequently, but despite this, there is a concrete path leading to the platform, and the platform has a beautiful concrete canopy, a beautiful fence, and lighting. There are few railway lines of similar importance in Russia where the platforms have all these amenities. I wish there were more platforms like this in Russia. Are you happy with the photo of the DP3 train? Yes. I finally took a photo of the DP3, I’m not interested in those trains anymore. Beautiful! We’re heading back to the Osipovichi – Grodzyanka railway line, where I’ll show you the legendary Uborok platform. Let’s go! [makes the sound of a departing train with his mouth] Notice how smooth the dirt road is here! There are some small stones, but there are no huge potholes in which you can… Bang! Leave a car wheel in. I’ve only seen dirt roads like this in Belarus. Belarusian roads are wonderful. Russia should urgently send its road services to Belarus for training! [music] That’s the Svisloch River, the main river of Belarus. Before heading to Uborok (the Osipovichi – Grodzyanka line), we stopped in Yelizovo on the Osipovichi – Mogilev railway line. We’re standing near a former railway crossing; the Osipovichi-Mogilev commuter train will soon pass through. If we’re lucky, we’ll also photograph a freight train with a 2TE10M diesel locomotive. And if we’re really lucky, we’ll catch a Mashka M62… I’m getting carried away. This is the railway crossing in Yelizovo. There’s a cross here, which indicates the need for convenient infrastructure, as people walk here. There need to be bridges over the ravine, the tracks need to be paved, and there needs to be lighting around. This is my free idea for Belarus on how to improve the railway. We’re waiting for the train to arrive from there. The train has arrived, but clouds are billowing across the sky, threatening to block the sun, ruining the light, and with it, our photos. It happened, and I so wanted to photograph this beautiful train in the sun. Shoo, shoo! Go away, clouds! Go away, cloud… Cloud, well done! Shoo! Oh, yes, baby! How beautiful this train is! DRB1-12 (Riga Carriage Works, 2003) 2M62U-0316 (Lugansk Diesel Locomotive Plant, 1991) Hooray! What a stroke of luck! My butt didn’t burn! The photo is perfect! Artist Volodya took a great photo. His shadows fall beautifully on the embankment, and you can see the graceful bridge… And what did you get? The photo has beautiful light falling from the opposite side. With a little editing, the photo will be even more beautiful! For the first time in the history of my channel, we’ve taken different photos! Now we’re going to the Uborok platform on the Osipovichi – Grodzyanka line and taking a photo of a freight and passenger train with a “Mashka” diesel locomotive. It’s a pity the locomotive doesn’t have round eyes, but it’ll do. [music] [Beautiful and neat Belarus] We’re riding the last meters to the Osipovichi – Grodzyanka line. There’s the Uborok platform, where one train stops per day; we’ll take a look at it now. Once upon a time, there was a siding here, but now we see the main track still standing, with only an embankment remaining from the side track. The USSR built a lot of railways, so it’s no surprise that even on such a sparsely used line, there was another siding. Some sources say there used to be access tracks to some facility here. It looks like the embankment of a former access track disappearing into the forest. A stone water tower, built before World War II, has been preserved here. This is the Uborok platform. On weekdays, one pair of trains runs here, on weekends, two, but soon there won’t be any. Despite the extremely infrequent trains, there is a restroom here. In Russia, even in the Moscow region, there are many platforms where dozens of trains run daily, but there are no restrooms. The platform is low, but perfectly level and well-lit. The tool shed is not hidden in a thicket of hogweed, but in plain sight. On top of everything else, this shed is a cultural landmark! The shed used to be part of a pumping station used to refuel steam locomotives. The shed was built in 1910. I am in awe. I find it hard to believe that such a building has been recognized as a historical monument, is in good condition, and continues to be used. There are many such buildings in Russia, but I have never seen any of them marked as a landmark, and this should be done! The passenger pavilion is simple, but made of concrete in an architectural style. There is an arch here. The concrete is perfect! This is the train schedule. This piece of paper says that from May 26, 2025, commuter trains will stop running here. I condemn this stupid decision! I hope that later Belarusian Railways will restore commuter trains (more precisely, freight and passenger trains). Let’s return to the canopy. It’s perfectly level, painted, no dirt, no graffiti. Everything is smooth… Beautiful! On similar railway lines in Russia, at best, there would be two sleepers instead of a platform. And in Belarus, there’s a pavilion with an architectural style. Russia should strive for this. The track building is solidly constructed of brick. And in Russia, track buildings are often converted shipping containers. Let me remind you again that such a platform is located on a railway with one pair of trains on weekdays and two pairs on weekends. Russian Railways, copy this experience and build good passenger infrastructure to make it more enjoyable for people to travel by train in Russia. After all, in Russia, passenger infrastructure often leaves much to be desired. A freight-passenger train appears, and the sky is again filled with clouds, which can make the lighting dim and dreary. So, clouds, shoo, shoo, fly away so we can get a sunny photo! Am I right? Of course! Watch out for ticks! M62UK-3092 A freight-passenger train has freight cars and a passenger car. This is a Belarusian freight-passenger train. This train is both freight and passenger! I am Captain Obvious… Trains like this haven’t existed in Russia for a long time, and they will soon disappear from Belarus. Belarus, don’t repeat Russia’s experience with organizing commuter trains! Russian Railways have seriously ruined commuter transportation in recent years! Local, what do you think about the freight-passenger train stopping running here? I am saddened, but I cannot influence such a decision. This is the harsh reality, but I hope that a commuter train will still run here, for example, the DRB1. But freight trains will remain on this railway. Today, May 18, 2025, we photographed one of the last runs of the Osipovichi – Grodzyanka freight and passenger train. Next weekend, May 25, 2025, this train will stop carrying passengers. We can confidently say that the Osipovichi – Grodzyanka freight and passenger train is gone forever. It’s so sad and touching! Please note that this wasn’t photobombed, as the clouds didn’t ruin the light in the photo! Do you know why? Because I told the clouds to clear, and they actually did! Do as I did to get sunny photos like this. The photo is hard to see on the screen, so enjoy the processed version. Personally, I’m super happy! I now have some time to show you a great Volkswagen Polo! This is a parody of Top Gear, but I couldn’t think of a funny way to connect my name Igor and Top Gear. Suggest your ideas in the comments. Usually, I get emotional when it’s cars I’m not happy with. But this one is great. The speedometer and tachometer have needles with numbers, not a screen that reflects in the sun… The headlights turn on here. The air conditioning is controlled not by a computer, but by buttons, as it should be. Temperature, air flow, and a flow direction switch are also available. You can display navigation using Android Auto on this screen. There’s Bluetooth music here. These buttons control the cruise control. A wonderful car! But this is a sedan, and I like crossovers and station wagons, since you can access the trunk from the passenger compartment with just your hand. But these are minor details. The main thing is that the car handles well: it starts moving immediately, not a few seconds after you press the gas pedal, like the Renault Arkana. I give the car a 9 out of 10. This is the only economy class car with cruise control, Bluetooth music, and navigation from your phone on the screen. It has convenient climate control. If you see a car like this, book it. And especially in Moscow, where it’s become very rare. Look for this car on the Delimobil car-sharing service, and register in the app with my promo code ref25jgo. And in Belarus, we use the Anytime car-sharing service, which is a copy of Delimobil (or is it vice versa?). Register on Anytime with my promo code refkj3ds. A slapdash screensaver like this will do… We’re going to the Osipovichi – Bobruisk railway to photograph the cool red-and-green Škoda ChS4T electric locomotive of the Belarusian Railways. I hope the locomotive won’t be as shabby as it was in 2024. It’s strange that there are more shabby electric locomotives and commuter trains in Belarus. Do you want to photograph the beautiful ChS4T? [silence] Silence means consent. We’re going! [music] So you’re saying this thing is tasty? Let me try it. This one’s not so good, but the other one is delicious. I liked this one too. Bon appétit! We’ve arrived at the Osipovichi – Tatarka section. Osipovichi is behind me, Tatarka is ahead. Soon, a Stadler EPM intercity train will pass from Osipovichi, which we’ll photograph. Then we’ll wait for a passenger train with a Škoda ChS4T locomotive. While there are no trains, here’s a tour of the location! The location is interesting because a lot of crickets live here. In my travels around Russia, I never came across crickets living in the forests, but here they are. The railway is perfect, as in all of Belarus. Smooth rails, straight poles, and the right-of-way is cleared of brush and grass so much that it looks unnatural. In Russia, bushes, trees, and grass often grow along railways, but here the whole area is bare and looks too monotonous. I prefer it when plants grow along the roads. The bad thing is that the flat terrain without hills doesn’t allow for a photo from a higher elevation, and I’ll have to photograph the train from the road near the crossing. I’ll photograph the Stadler train here, and then go into the forest to look for higher ground, which is there. Train photography parameters for sunny weather: ISO 640, 1/640, f/8.0 Stadler Flirt EPM-001 The EPM-001 train, also known as the Stadler Flirt, just passed by. There are 12 such trains in Belarus, built between 2016 and 2022. This is an intercity electric train with 25 kV 50 Hz AC. Car sharing has a big problem – the internet. If the internet is bad, then you won’t be able to do anything with the car. I wanted to lock the car using the app and go deeper into the forest, but I can’t because there’s no signal. And leaving the car unlocked is prohibited. I have two options: stay here or move the car and try to get a 4G signal. I’ll try moving the car. We’ll see what happens. Of course, moving the car didn’t help, since I only went 50 meters. I can’t lock the car, so I’ll be forced to photograph the next train at the crossing, which I’m not very happy about. For this reason, I gave the Volkswagen Polo a 9 instead of a 10: it doesn’t have Bluetooth door locking. Skoda ChS4T-601 EPM-007 Double luck! Firstly, the sun came out on time… Thanks, clouds! Secondly, the electric locomotive is perfect: clean, beautiful, and recently painted! I’m super happy with the photo. My friends took a photo of the same train like this. Let me know in the comments which photo you like best. Please note: a pedestrian crossing on a country road with a safety island! (In Russia, such things are only found in large cities.) We were recently in Murom and learned that the residents there like to make garages out of decommissioned train cars. They love that in Osipovichi too! There are plenty of garages made out of train cars! And there’s also a garage made out of a TE3 diesel locomotive. TE3? Yes, indeed. I saw the roof. Wow! [music] Russian Zhiguli cars We arrived at the Osipovichi-1 railway station. The building was built in the Stalinist Empire style. But it’s much more interesting to look at the station square in this town, home to about 30,000 people. Let’s take a look! When you exit the building, you find yourself on a zebra crossing, not in a parking lot, like in the Russian cities of Ryazan and Kursk. Then you find yourself in a small alley with lanterns and benches. And the parking lot is located on either side of the alley. For comparison, the large Russian city of Kursk has no avenue, no benches, just a gigantic parking lot. I’d add some trees here. On the left, there are shops without any architectural style, but they serve delicious pies. And over there, we ordered shawarma and will be trying it soon. There are bus platforms here. Pskov has similar infrastructure, but it’s painted on the asphalt, while here it’s built in the form of safety islands. Ramps are needed here to allow passengers with limited mobility to access the platforms. The buses in Osipovichi are modern MAZ low-floor buses. Osipovichi is a good example for Russian cities of a similar size to aspire to. Because the buses in Osipovichi are modern, while in Vyazma, Russia, where the same number of people live, the streets are occupied by uncomfortable, outdated PAZ-3205 buses. I wish smaller Russian cities had cool buses like the ones in Osipovichi. For lunch, I had a super-meat hunter’s shawarma. What about you? I got a Korean shawarma. What about you? I got a mushroom shawarma. How many points from 0 to 5 would you give this cafe? I rate this cafe 4 points! Where did that one go? The shawarma is leaking and falling apart, but it’s still delicious. So, we’ve eaten some delicious food and now we’re going… Where? Vova, tell us. If you want to see the Sergievichskaya narrow-gauge railway, 10 km from the village of Rudensk, then we need to leave now. Friend, Bus Master, do we want to go? Bus Master disappeared from my phone… I’ll insert the sound of crickets here. Do you want to go there yourself? I don’t mind. Great. Then let’s go! Especially since we might see the ER9 electric train on the way, and I really want to see the ER9! [music] Hooray, we saw the ER9T commuter train! [music] Hello everyone! I’m Valdemar (link to the Telegram channel in the description). We’re on the narrow-gauge railway of the Sergievichsky peat plant, located in the village of Pravdinsky in the Minsk region. The narrow-gauge railway is 40 km long and consists of two branches. We’re on the branch that leads to the peat fields; it’s about 30 km long. The second branch, about 10 km long, leads to the transfer station for 750 mm gauge cars to 1520 mm gauge cars. The locomotives on this narrow-gauge railway include various TU6, TU6MB, and TU8MB diesel locomotives, an ESU2A self-propelled power plant (which differs from a diesel locomotive in that it is equipped with an electric generator to power track-laying trains and other track machines), and a rare UPS track machine… …which does what? This track machine clears tracks, straightens right-of-way, and much more. Peat is transported in TSV cars, which were built in the town of Demikhovo near Moscow. There’s also an interesting PV-40 passenger car, used by railway workers. A huge narrow-gauge train speeds forward. This narrow-gauge railway used to be much larger. The narrow-gauge railway previously had a branch line to Volosach station and further on to the village of Gatsuk. This branch line no longer exists. This narrow-gauge railway is interesting for the places it passes through and the variety of locomotives. There are diesel locomotives in various colors here: red and yellow, red and gray, red and black. Unfortunately, there are no blue locomotives or TU4 diesel locomotives here. I would really like to take a photo. There are many interesting locations for photography. There are hills, forests, fields, and much more for those who love remote and picturesque places. How often do trains run here? We arrived on Sunday evening, so I doubt we’ll see any traffic now. During peat extraction season, five pairs of trains can pass here! Is that in the fall? In the fall, at the end of summer, is the peat removal season. Peat extraction season is underway right now. So, theoretically, five pairs of trains could have been here today? Yes. But there is also such a thing as maintenance at peat factories. During maintenance, trains almost never run. At best, you’ll see a train carrying narrow-gauge railway workers. This is one of my favorite narrow-gauge railways in the Republic of Belarus. From your story, the narrow-gauge railway is wonderful, but something is missing. Uh… I get it! It’s missing bushes, trees, thickets and branches knocking on the window. What kind of narrow-gauge railway is it without thickets?! It’s not at all soulful! All our managers are strong businessmen, that’s why it’s clean. Look at the layer of rust on the rail heads! Are you saying that because there’s rust here, it means there were no trains? That’s fresh rust. Is it possible that we won’t be able to photograph anything here today?!?!?!?!?! We no longer have time to wait for a train that may not even show up. We need to go to Minsk. Along the way, we’ll photograph the commuter trains. And in Minsk, we’ll look at the metro, buses, trolleybuses, trams, electric buses… And then I’ll come to my senses, remembering that I have a long bus ride from Minsk to Moscow ahead of me, but you’ll hear about that later. Don’t switch to another channel. I can talk about narrow-gauge railways for hours, but you need to visit them separately. [music] A bicycle and pedestrian path in a Belarusian village. In Russia, we don’t even have this in every city, but here – in a village! True, in the whole day I only saw two bicycle and pedestrian paths here. [music] We arrived at the Minsk – Osipovichi railway line in the village of Maryina Gorka. Now we’ll photograph a couple of trains here – a long-distance passenger train and a commuter train. This is a nice place. You’ll get some nice photos from the opposite hill. Skoda ChS4T-599 This is Bus Master. We are between the Tekhnikum platform and Pukhovichi station. We just photographed a passenger train with a ChS4T electric locomotive, and there’s another passenger train coming behind it… By the way, there’s another passenger train with a ChS4T electric locomotive coming behind it. Škoda ChS4T-594. We took a photo of a passenger train with a ChS4T, and immediately another passenger train with a ChS4T arrived, heh-heh. What luck! Two commuter trains will be arriving soon! I hope it’s the ER9M, the most interesting commuter train (since there are only three of them). It will be great to catch an ER9M, but I wouldn’t refuse a beautiful ER9E or ER9T either. There are 10 minutes left until the train, and the clouds have blocked the sun. Now I’ll use the method that saved me on the Osipovichi – Grodzyanka line. Come on, clouds, shoo! Shoo! Fly away! Let’s blow on the clouds… Now the sun will definitely appear when the commuter train leaves. The next stop is Solnechnaya. Be careful, the doors are closing. (There really is a Solnechnaya (solny) station in Moscow). And here comes the first commuter train. Listen to that gentle sound! My magic worked, the photo turned out sunny! We’ll soon check if the magic works with the next commuter train. Shoo, clouds, shoo! Fly away! The sun will definitely appear by the next commuter train! (no) The second commuter train was in the shadow, which means I had to blow on the clouds harder. But I still saved the photo thanks to processing. After a liter of vodka, you don’t need any processing (it rhymes in Russian). All the photos are perfect! So, how do you like the photos of the commuter trains? The photos are beautiful, just like the commuter trains. But an evil fate haunts me. Every time I come to Minsk, I see the same ER9Ts! 712, 711, 715, 716… Where are all the others? Where?! Where is the ER9M? Where? Everything is perfect here: there is a beautiful location, there are beautiful trains, there is beautiful lighting, but then there is also this disgrace… Hey, get out, insects! ER9T-692 A midge flew into the frame… Oh, I don’t envy this guy! Today he will be traveling from Minsk to Moscow by bus for 12 hours! Ugh, how disgusting! Ugh. But I’ll be riding on a really cool bus… Look, this carrier has a really cool (no) Zhong Tong, are you jealous that I’m riding on it? …. …. Ugh, how disgusting. And they also have a MAN Lion’s Coach! What if it takes me? MAN is a different matter! Who else will be jealous? You’ll be the one who’s jealous, because I’ll be riding on a train in a reclining position, with bed linen, tea, coffee, and sausage. In the morning, I’ll arrive in the center of Moscow at Belorussky Station, and you’ll go to Salaryevo bus station and have to spend a whole hour riding home on the metro. Ugh, how disgusting. But at least I’ll be riding on a really cool Yutong bus… I can’t pronounce its full name, but what if it’s comfortable? You’ll be riding on a terrible Higer bus… In the evening, we’ll find out which of us will have the better conditions! Of course, me! Deal! Interesting content awaits you!

In Russia, commuter train cancellations are no longer a surprise. Just 300 km from Moscow, there are railway lines without commuter trains.
But in Belarus, canceling a commuter train is nonsense!
Surprisingly, it happened: on May 25, 2025, the Osipovichi-Grodzyanka freight-passenger train stopped running. The passenger car was removed, and now only a freight train operates there.
And for us, Russians from Moscow, a freight-passenger train is a real curiosity, as you won’t see anything like it in Russia!
A week before the train’s cancellation, we arrived in Minsk, rented a car, and rushed to the line to do a report, photographing everything beautiful that came to hand along the way.
We also looked with envy at the beautiful trains and the passenger infrastructure of the Belarusian railway. Even on the low-traffic Osipovichi – Grodzyanka line, the platforms look unlike those on some major Russian railways!
A picture is worth a thousand words, so enjoy!

For paid subscribers, I edit videos within a week of filming. These videos are longer, more lively, and less censored, but most importantly, you don’t have to wait months for them to be released.
Here’s a quick video about a trip to Belarus:
https://boosty.to/railphotoblog/posts/161897d3-47c4-496c-8cb3-8643ba5e31c9?share=post_link

A text account of this trip with photographs:
https://dzen.ru/a/aEayD1hLgCKXU_q1

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My articles and photos about russian trains and travel: https://dzen.ru/railphotoblog
My telegram channel with Blog breaking news: https://t.me/railphotoblog
My railway photos: https://railgallery.ru/author/47/

Episodes:
00:00 Riding from Minsk to Osipovichi
01:33 Passenger-freight train Grodzyanka – Osipovichi
02:45 Garoza station review and Polish diesel train Pesa DP3
05:40 Driving to the next location
06:47 Riga diesel train DRB1 in the village of Elizovo
08:56 Riding back to railway branch Osipivichi – Grodzyanka
10:00 A railway station where only one train runs per day
13:23 Passenger-freight train Osipovichi – Grozdyanka once again
16:36 Volkswagen Polo (promo Delimobil: ref25jgo) (promo Anytime: refkj3ds)
18:43 Railway section Osipovichi – Bobruisk: trains Skoda ChS4T and Stadler Flirt
23:30 Overview of the city of Osipovichi
25:43 It’s lunch time!
26:09 Driving to the narrow-gauge railway
27:49 Narrow-gauge railway of the Sergeevichsky peat plant
32:54 Driving to the next location
34:09 Railway section Minsk – Osipovichi: trains ER9T and Skoda ChS4T
39:16 Announcement of the next video